


SKIN DEEP

by Crizz



Series: ChangminHo Short Stories Collection [7]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Grimm Fairy Tales - Freeform, M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 13:44:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18966436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crizz/pseuds/Crizz
Summary: An old OLD fic of mine based on one of my favorite fairy tale: Allerleirauh (English: "All-Kinds-of-Fur")Original recorded by: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm





	SKIN DEEP

**Author's Note:**

> This going to be a different writing style then my usual. As this was supposed to be a fairytale, I want to tell it as if we're reading from one of those old fairytale books.. I hope in some ways, I've succeeded -.-'''

 

 

_Now.. how shall we start our story?? Should I start with ‘once upon a time’? As far as fairy tales go, honestly that was so over done >.<.. _

_How about ‘Long, long time ago..’? Ah~ I know.. why don’t I start with…_

 

 

 

Somewhere in the middle nowhere in a faraway kingdom, there lived a king whose queen was the fairest among all living creature.

 

 

Hair as wavy as the ocean waves and as golden brown as liquid honey, full lips with prettiest little pout and as pink as ripened peach, skin as smooth as rose petals with shade of palest caramel sugar and voice as sweet as the nightingale.

Not only was she beautiful, the queen also had the kindest and gentlest heart.

 

 

It’s needless to say that the queen was very much loved by the king and their subjects. Often one would find her walking hand in hand with her husband and their toddler son in the palace’s garden, enjoying the evening breeze.

The kingdom was at its most peaceful since before the king’s grandfather time, crops are abundant during the harvest and the weather is always mild with flowers blooming everywhere. Truly the land were blessed by Gods above and the people were happy.

 

 

Then the beautiful queen fell gravely ill.

 

 

When she felt that her end drew near, she called the king to her and said,

“Promise me that you will never marry again, unless you meet with someone who is as beautiful as I am and would be love as I had been”.

 

 

Then when the king – in his grief promised all she asked, the beloved queen shut her eyes and passed away peacefully. But the king was not to be comforted, and for a long time never thought of taking another wife.

 

 

At last, however, his wise men said,

“this will not do; the king must marry again, that we may have a queen.”

 

 

So messengers were sent far and wide, to seek for a bride as beautiful as the late queen. But there was no princess in the world so beautiful; and if there had been, still there was not one to be found who is as love by her subjects as the late queen had been – as they were all vain by their beauty and noble birth to take notice of those lesser than they are. So the messengers came home – defeated, all their troubles are for nothing.

 

 

Several summers pass by and the kingdom crown prince grew up –

Prince Yunho was raised mostly by the castle’s servants as his father, the king was too busy to take much mind in his only heir upbringing. This however doesn’t bother the prince the least as even without a mother’s love and barely a father’s attention too, he was brought up lovingly by those who once loved the queen and would give anything to make sure that her beloved son would want for nothing.

The fact that Prince Yunho is almost a spitting image of his late mother, endear himself to the people in the kingdom even more so.

 

The prince also seems to inherit more than just his mother’s good look; he is as gentle as a snowy dove on Christmas morning and one has yet to meet him without the sweetest smile on his face. With almond shaped deep chocolate eyes, lips as red as strawberry blush, smooth baby soft caramel sun-kissed skin and voice as sweet as honey mead – it is no wonder that some might say that he even surpassed his late mother’s beauty.

 

 

One day, the king happened to look outside his window to the castle’s garden where the prince is currently playing around with his pet deer. Seeing his son laughing gaily with his face flushed from the morning sun, the king – who in all honesty, hasn’t really recovered from his wife’s death several years ago - felt a pang in his heart. Never has he misses his late wife as much as he does at that moment.

 

 

 _'He looks exactly like you, my heart.’_  

the king thinks sadly.

 

At this, the king suddenly struck by an idea – or one would say that this the time when the king had finally **lost** his mind.

 

 

He called to his loyal courtiers excitedly,  
  
“May I not marry my son? He is; after all, the spitting image of  his mother - my dead wife: unless I have him, I shall not find any bride upon the whole earth.

And you say there must be a queen, have you not?”

 

 

Needless to say, when the courtiers heard this they were shocked and said,

“Heaven forbid that a father should marry his own son! Out of so great a sin, nothing good could come.”

 

 

However the king was adamant with his decision and told the servant to inform the prince to get ready for their wedding in a fortnight time.

 

 

Prince Yunho was shocked by his father’s order but as much as he is the kingdom's heir, he is also his mother's son through and through. And the while the late Queen were famous for her beauty and grace, not many were aware of how quick-witted she really was, a trait that was inherited by her son.

 

The prince knows he can't go against the direct order of the King and so he told the servant to bring a message to the King, 

“Before I marry anyone I must have three suits: one must be of gold, like the sun; another must be of shining silver, like the moon; and a third must be dazzling as the stars:

besides this, I want a mantle of a thousand different kinds of fur put together, to which every beast in the kingdom must give a part of his skin.”

 

 

And thus Prince Yunho thought his father would think of the matter no more.

 

 

But the king made the most skilful workmen in his kingdom weave the three suits: one golden, like the sun; another silvery, like the moon; and a third sparkling, like the stars: and his hunters were told to hunt out all the beasts in his kingdom, and to take the finest fur out of their skins: and thus a mantle of a thousand furs was made.

 

 

When all were ready, the king send them to the prince; but on the night before the wedding when all were asleep, Prince Yunho packed all three suits – of the sun, of the moon and of the stars – and took three trinkets inherit from her late mother: a ring, a necklace and a bracelet.

 

 

He then wrapped himself up in the fur mantle and besmeared his face and hands with soot. He went to the castle’s stable and bid farewell to his beloved deer, lamenting the fact that this probably going to be the last he will ever pet it and stroked its soft, downy fur.

 

 

“If I could, I would bring you with me. But alas, this is a journey that I must take alone. I’m sorry, my friend. May you find freedom and better fate than I could hope for.. I’ll miss you.”

He whispered sadly.

 

 

Then he threw himself upon the Heaven’s mercy and began his journey.

He ran and ran and when he can ran no more; he found a shelter in between the bark of a tree to rest for a while. After he felt a little bit of his strength returned, he ran some more.

 

 

He journeyed throughout the next few nights, avoiding main roads and any villages – stopping only a few times to rest his tired legs and to eat what little bread and cheese he had packed along, always he would find himself looking over his shoulder in fright in case his estranged father has finally caught up with him.

 

 

On the seventh night, Prince Yunho came to large forest, hungry beyond belief and about to collapse in exhaustion.

 

 _Tomorrow. Tomorrow morn I’ll continue again.’_  

He thought tiredly.

 

 

With that, he sat himself down in the hollow of a tree, near the clearest spring brook and soon fell asleep:

and there he slept on til it was midday, where he was woken up by furious barking of dogs.

 

 

  
************** ************* *********** ************** ********** ******

 

 

 

Now, the woods actually belong to King Changmin.

 

The young king is famous for his snarkiness; aloof demeanour and despite all that, still earned much respect and love from his subjects for being a just and cunning king.

Although he inherited the throne at such young age, Changmin had proven himself thrice times worthy to be the king when the kingdom flourished more than it ever had been before under his great forefathers.

 

 

He is also considered as one of the best eligible bachelor throughout the country for his stunning good looks.

Royals and nobles far and wide have come to offer their most beautiful ladies and daughters in hope to gain themselves an alliance with the great kingdom.

 

 

While it amuses him to see all these so-called upper-class ladies fall all over themselves for him, the young king has yet to choose a bride for himself – preferring instead spending his free time with either conversing (read: debating) with his royal advisers or on his hobby: hunting.

 

 

That morning, as per his habit whenever he feels like the pressure of his responsibilities becomes bit too much, the king had decided to go hunting with his huntsmen to clear his mind.

When they got near the spring where the king had always stop for a drink of fresh water, the dogs went to one of the largest tree there and began to snuff about, and run round and round, and bark.

 

 

“Look sharp!”

ordered the king to his men,

“See what sort of game lies there.”

 

 

The huntsmen went up to the tree and saw a creature like no other. Covered in thousands kind of furs and feathers, cowering in fright at the sight of all the men and their beasts.

 

 

The men came back to the king and said:

“In the hollow tree there lies a most wonderful beast, such as we never seen before; its skin seems to be of a thousand kinds of furs and its feature are neither of human nor animal for ‘tis black as soot and as dirty too.”

 

 

This roused the young king’s curiosity and thus he ordered the men to bring the creature before him.

The huntsmen then captured the beast and while jeering at the ugly creature, shoved him before the king.

 

 

Greatly frightened by their rough hands and treatment, Yunho knelt and plead:

“Please, I’m begging you. I am but a poor creature that has neither father nor mother left. There are no others like me and I am alone in this world. Have pity on me and leave me so.

For I am as harmless as doves and have no intention of being otherwise.”

 

 

Amazed that the creature could talk, King Changmin knew in his heart that this is but a poor, harmless creature and by all rights, he should let it go.

However he was intrigued by that gentle sweet voice and prettiest eyes he had ever seen on the face as unbecoming as the beast before him and thus the young king found himself saying:

“You had trespassed the woods without permission and now we’re going to bring you back with us so that you will repay back the insult with your service.

For now, you will do for the kitchen – sweep up the ashes, and do things of that sort. “

 

 

Prince Yunho has but no choice to follow them. He thought forlornly on his diminishing chance at freedom.

 _'what misfortune do I have? Which gods have I slighted in the past that fate had deemed me unworthy of a simple life?... and honestly, it’s not like I was doing anything bad in these woods. I was just passing through! ~ Idiot king!’_  

he glared – though very surreptitiously, at the young (‘ _and extremely handsome’_ , his heart whispered to him, before he squashed the thought vehemently) king before him.

 

 

The men then put him into the coach and took him home to the King’s palace.

Then they showed him the tiny rundown hut behind the barn and said:

“All-Fur, this is where you may lie and sleep”.

 

 

And after he was send to the kitchen, and made to fetch wood and water, to blow the fire, plucks the poultry, pick the herbs, sift the ashes, and all other kinds of dirty work.

 

 

Thus this is how Prince Yunho lived for a long time very sorrowfully.

 _'Ah~ Yunho.. what will now become of thee?’_  

he thought sadly to himself.

 

He was feeling terribly homesick and cried himself to sleep almost every night.

 

 

One day, a feast was to be held in the king’s castle – another one of his advisers desperate attempts to gather all the princesses and ladies for the young king to choose as his queen, despite his intense protests.

As he really loves dancing and quite frankly; he misses to have anyone talks to him like a normal human being instead of a freak, Prince Yunho craves to join in the feast – even for a short while, as himself.

 

 

So he said to the cook:

“May I go up a little while and see what is going on? I will take care not to let anyone see me and will stand behind the door.”

 

 

And the cook said;

“Yes, you may go. But be back again in half an hour’s time, to rake out the ashes.”

 

 

Overjoyed, Yunho took his little lamp and went into his hut.

He took off the fur skin and washed the soot off his face and hands, so his beauty shone forth like the sun behind the cloud. He opened his pack and took out the suit that’s bright as the sun and as an afterthought, slip on his mother’s delicate ruby necklace for luck.

 

 

He then went to the feast in high spirits.

 

 

At the ball, everyone made way for him, for nobody knows who this mysterious man is and they thought he must be no less than a king’s son.

 

 

King Changmin – as like everyone else there; charmed by the newcomer’s beauty, came up to him and held out his hand for a request to dance – which nearly gave his royal advisers heart attack (as the King never showed much interest in anyone before).

He thought dazedly in his heart:

_'I never saw anyone half as beautiful as this man.’_

 

 

Yunho smiled and laughed and had the best time in his life as the young king twirled him around and around while Changmin fell a little bit more in love with the man with each sound of tinkling laughter.

It is to both of their regret when the dance came to an end.

 

 

With a shy smile; Yunho leaned forward and kiss the young king on the cheek sweetly, turned around and ran out from the feast hall – his half an hour is almost over.

 

 

By the time Changmin had recovered from his daze and look around for him, the beautiful man was gone.

The guards from the castle gate were called in, but they had seen no one.

 

 

Truth was; Yunho had run to his little hut, pulled off his suit, hastily blackened his face and hands with soot, put on his fur-cloak and was now the All-Furs again.

When he rushed back to the kitchen to work and began to rake the ashes, the cook said:

“Let that alone until the morning and heat the king’s soup; I should like to run up now and have a peek. Take care that you don’t let a hair fall into it, or you will run a chance of never eating again.”

 

 

As soon as the cook went away, Yunho heated the King’s soup and toasted a slice of bread first – as nicely as he ever could.

While he was ladling in the soup into the bowl - humming as he happily recalled his lovely dance with the King, unknowing to him, his necklace fell into the bottom of the soup – as he had forgotten to take it off before.

 

 

When the feast was over, the King ordered his soup to be brought in; that it pleased him so well, he thought that he never tasted anything as good before.

At the bottom of the bowl, he saw the pretty ruby necklace – as bright as can be. Wondering where it came from and remembering that this was the same necklace he saw his mysterious love wore earlier that night, he ordered the cook to be sent for.

 

 

The cook was frightened when he heard the order, and said to Yunho:

“You must have let a hair fall into the soup; if it be so, you will have a good beating.”

 

 

Then he went before the King, and the King asked him who had cooked the soup.

 

“I did,”

answered the Cook.

 

But the King said,

“That is not true; it was better done than you could do it. Be honest or I will have your head off”

 

Then the Cook tearfully answered,

“To tell the truth I did not cook it, but All-Furs did.”

 

“Then let All-Furs come up,”

said the King.

 

 

And when the creature came before him, trembling with fright, the King asked him:

“Who are you?”

 

 

“I am a poor child,”

said Yunho, bowing his head,

“that has lost both father and mother. I am good for nothing, but to be scullion-boy, and to have boots and shoes thrown at my head.”

 

 

Changmin narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

There  _is_  something about this creature that he just can’t put his finger on.. How he wishes that for once people would actually look him in the face when talking to him, however that was not the proper conduct for someone to address the King.

 

 

“But how did you get the necklace that was in the soup?”

asked the king.

 

 

Absently, Yunho’s hand flew to his throat at the mention of his late mother’s necklace. When he noticed what he was doing however, he quickly faked a cough to throw off the King’s wary gaze upon him.

 

 _'Ah~ How could I be so stupid as to lost the necklace?’_  

Yunho berated himself.  _’_

_never mind, I’ll just deny everything then.’_

 

 

No matter how much the king pestered however, Yunho would not own that he knew anything about the necklace; so the King sent him away again about his business (much to Yunho's relief).

 

 

A week later, there was another feast – apparently the King was quite adamant to find his mystery love – and Yunho again asked the cook to let him go up and see it as before.

 

 

“Yes,”

said the cook,

“but come again in half an hour, and cook the king the soup that he likes so much.”

 

 

Delighted, Yunho ran to his little hut, washed himself quickly, and took his suit out which was silvery as the moon, and put it on – this time with a deep blue sapphire bracelet adorning his delicate wrist; and when he went in, looking like a king’s son, the king went up to him, and rejoiced at seeing the beautiful man again, and when the dance began they dance together.

 

 

After the dance was at an end Yunho managed to slip out, so slyly that the King did not see where he was gone; but he sprang into his little hut, and made himself into All-Furs again, and went into the kitchen to cook the soup whilst the cook was above stairs; then it was brought to the king, who ate it, and it pleased him as well as before; so he sent for the cook, who was again forced to tell him that All-Furs had cooked it.

Yunho was brought again before the king, but he still told him that he was only fit to have boots and shoes thrown at his head.

 

 

Before he went out the chamber however, the King casually said:

“I believed that I’ve found the man of my dream. I’ve fallen for him ever since we met a week ago at the feast. I never got to know who this man is – he came out of nowhere and vanished as quickly after just one dance. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about whom I was talking about, do you?”

 

 

Yunho stopped in his track to the door and replied – without turning back to look at the young king,

“You only had one dance with him at every ball and yet you claimed that you fell for him.

Strange is it not that you might like a man of that you know nothing of? Is beauty all that can capture your attention? Then you are nothing more than another shallow man, insisted on the outside rather than trying to find the true person inside.

With all due respect your Highness, love like that won’t last long. It will end as swift as the season passes and I feel sorry for him who has held your interest.

For nothing good would come out of this and mayhap it  _is_  better for it to be like this – you will never catch him for he will be forever hidden from your eyes.”

 

 

Stunned that someone actually dared to talk to him like that, Changmin took a step forward towards the creature before him. At that moment Yunho turned to look briefly over his shoulder towards the King and again Changmin was mesmerized by the creature’s pretty eyes.

Absently, he found himself saying:

“A bracelet.. Tonight, it was a bracelet around his wrist. So delicate in my hand.. A ruby bracelet..”

 

 

Yunho didn’t say anything and just walked briskly towards the door. He needed to get away from the king. He was so sure that the king would have him beheaded for sure after his outburst just now. But strangely enough, the king didn’t even call in the guards.

Yunho decided not to push his luck any longer than necessary.

 

However; with his hand on the door’s latch, he can’t help but whispered his final parting words:

“Sapphire.. It was a sapphire bracelet, my lord..”

With that, he left as quickly as he could – heart pounding like crazy.

 

 

Changmin just smiled secretly. So, All-Furs really does know  _something_  about his love…

 

It’s time for the final ball…

 

 

  
***************** ************* *************** ************* *************

 

 

  
The third feast rumored to be the largest, most festive of all the feasts known before.

This time, everybody in the kingdom and beyond was invited.

 

 

Yunho had contemplated not going to this feast as he was scared that in his haste, he might’ve blown his cover the last time.

However, the sounds of gaily music and laughter drifted towards the kitchen from above and that called out to him. Oh, how he misses dancing so much.

 

 

 _’It wouldn’t hurt if I could just stay out of the king’s sight. Why, there are hundreds of other people I could dance with!_  

he reasoned with himself.

 

 

So again, he asked the permission from the Cook and went quickly to his hut and put on his prettiest suit to date – his favorite, the one that sparkles like the stars – with a diamond ring to match.

 

 

He went to the ballroom all sneaky-like and tried to blend in with the crowd.

However, such a beautiful man would never fail to catch anyone’s eyes. And before long he found himself in the arms of the king again.

 

 

Changmin thought the man looks the most beautiful then even compares to the last two times before.

He already ordered that the dance should be kept up for longer time and for all the entrance to the ballroom to be heavily guarded. He held on tightly to the hand of the other and tried to catch the other’s eyes.

 

When the dance finally ends, the beautiful man tried to slip away but can’t because of the tight grip of the king.

He looked up in panic straight into Changmin’s eyes and with a gasp, the king momentarily slackened his held on Yunho’s hand causing the latter to be able to ran away quickly through the crowd that the king lost sight of him.

 

 

This time Yunho knew that he had stayed too long – beyond his agreed half an hour; so he had not the time to take off his fine suit, and he just threw his fur cloak over it and in his haste, did not _fully_ blackened himself with the soot and left one of his fingers white.

 

 

Then he ran to the kitchen and after apologizing profusely to the irate cook, he began preparing the king’s soup once more.

This time he makes sure that nothing will fell into the bowl – he didn’t want the king to call him into the chamber once again.

 

 

But to Yunho’s surprised, shortly after the feast has ended, the king had summoned him to the royal chamber for the third time.

 

 _I wonder why? I had been extra careful today.._  

he thought fearfully to himself.

 

 

Once All-Furs got into the room, Changmin who had been pacing back and forth impatiently while waiting quickly seized the other’s hand and drew him near – he ignored the surprised gasp came from the other’s lips and stared into the pretty brown eyes that had him intrigued from the first day itself… the same eyes that he looked into tonight on the face of his beloved. He saw the white finger and the diamond ring and  _knew_  he had found his elusive love.

 

 

Panicking, Yunho tried to struggle himself away from the strong grip and in the process managed to lost the fur-cloak, revealing the starry suit sparkled underneath it and with the hood thrown back, his beautiful form was revealed.

Wide-eyed, Yunho froze on the spot – unsure what to do now that his secret was exposed.

 

 

Still holding on to the other’s hand, Changmin kindly pulled his love one towards the wash basin on the night dresser and with the wet cloth there, tenderly washed away the soot marring the other’s face and hands.

 

 

“There you are… I’ve been searching all over for you..”

He whispered.

 

 

“I’ve always been here. You just didn’t see me.”

Yunho said softly.

 

 

“I know.. Forgive me for that.”

Changmin kissed the smaller hand in his gently, making the other blushed.

“Mayhap you could give me another chance? To get to know you better? To know the real person underneath the beauty?”

 

 

Yunho smiled as he heard his own words coming out from the king’s mouth,

“I would like that.”

He said shyly.

 

 

Changmin let out a relieved sigh and,

“Should we start from the beginning then?

Fair sir, if you could give me the honor to let me know your name? So that I would at least know who to search for if you should decided to run away again..”

The last bit was said in a disgruntled tone.

 

 

Yunho laughs gaily and replied:

“Yunho… My name is Yunho.”

 

 

 

*

**************************

 

 

  
And that my dears, was how the snarky cynical King Changmin found his true love in the sweet Prince Yunho.

 

According to the myth, Prince Yunho made the king woo him for 6 straight months before he finally relents and gave in.

Their wedding feast was the merriest event in years to come and the joyous couple received their own bundle of pride and joy a year later – the cutest baby boy known on land.

 

Of course, coming from such extraordinary family would guarantee Prince Minho of his own set of magical adventure.

With curse from fairy godmother involving spindle and what not, a certain beautiful but spoilt Prince Kibum and encounter with ogres, evil mother-in-law and of course; true love.. One could safely say that there won’t be a moment of peace and quiet among the royal household and their descendants..

 

 

But as they said, that would be another story for another time.. For now, let just leave those two alone and their own happily-ever-after ending.

 

 

 

  
  
  
_~finis~_

 

 


End file.
